Make your plans for BIKE TO WORK DAY

Friday,  May 18th

Whether you're heading to work, school or errands, Friday, May 18 is the day to leave your car home and hop in the saddle. We want to see swarms of cyclists from dawn to dusk and we've got a day planned to tickle your two-wheeling fancies.  From "Park & Bike" at Newport Grand, to our Bike Commuter Breakfast, to FREE admission at the Breakers, to historic Bike Tours, to a police-escorted Community Bike Ride, to a fabulous Bike Fair, and ending with the delightful 1979 bike flick Breaking Away at JPT - it's all happening on May 18! See schedule details below. 

And don't miss the Bike to Work Day Poster Series all over town - see if you can spot all six of our local celebs on wheels!

BIKE TO WORK DAY PAGES:  MAIN PAGE WITH SCHEDULE - INFORMATION FOR EMPLOYERS - COMMUTER REGISTRATION (Helpful, but not required) - TOUR REGISTRATION - PARK & BIKE - COMMUTER TIPS - POSTER PROJECT - B2WD IN THE NEWS - BUSINESS SUPPORTERS - BIKE SAFETY

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

All activities at Washington Square (unless otherwise noted)
ALL ACTIVITIES FREE (unless otherwise noted)

• 6:00am - 9:30am: Commuter Breakfast
• 10:30am: Special Event: Bicycle tour to Newport Mansions with mansion historian John Tschirch.
  Register here. First come, first served!
• 11:00 am:  Bike Fair begins. Activities include:
• Bike Safety
• Bike Maintenance
• Bike Rentals
• Bike Spinning
• Bike Tech
• Vendors
• 1:00pm: Press Conference
• 2:00pm:  Bicycle Tour to Newport Mansions. Registration advised, not required. Limited spots.
• 3:00pm: Bicycle decorating begins
• 4:00pm: Community Bike Ride (click here for Map)
• 4:00pm: Bike valet parking begins
• 5:00pm: Entertainment begins
• 7:30pm: Bike Fair ends - enjoy the local shops and restaurants, until ...
• 8:00 pm: Breaking Away (1979) at Jane Pickens Theater ($10 admission, with portion to Bike Newport)

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Submit your Photo or Illustration for the 2012 Bike Map Cover

We’re looking for a FAB PHOTO OR ILLUSTRATION for our next edition Newport Bike Map!

Do you remember this amazing cover photo from our first edition Newport Bike Map?  Local photographer Kelly McCann took this photo on the side of the Hungry Monkey on Broadway. Great photo! The super vibrant color brings the map alive and helps it to stand out in a crowd. Well, we’re looking for another fabulous photo or illustration for our upcoming second edition.  We want something hip, clever and TOTALLY NEWPORT.  And we want it to once again POP on the brochure rack. Send us your photo or illustration for consideration.  If chosen, it will grace the cover of about 10,000 maps to be produced with the help of Discover Newport, the Newport County Chamber of Commerce, the Aquidneck Island Planning Commission and Bike Newport.  And we’ll honor the winning selection on Bike to Work Day on May 18, when the map will be released to the public. We'll also looking for one or two photos for the inside of the map. We'd like the inside photos to show people riding in Newport.  Real people. Real Newport! Send your digital submission to:  info@bikenewportri.org Deadline:  Sunday, April 29

Sunday Group Ride: April 15

Group Ride tomorrow Sun 4/15 will leave Touro Park at 9AM (one hour earlier). Meet at 8:45AM. Reverse Ocean Drive ride - see you there!!

RIBike comes to Newport – Monday, April 9, 6pm

Group Ride: Sunday, April 8 Work off that Easter brunch or work up an appetite for dinner! Weather permitting, we'll head east to Middletown beaches and preserves. Leisurely ride, under 15 miles. Meet at Touro Park on Bellevue/Pelham at 1:45 pm for a 2:00 start. RIBike comes to Newport: Monday, April 9 The next monthly meeting of the statewide Rhode Island Bicycle Coalition will be hosted by Bike Newport - on Monday, April 9 at 6pm at Empire Tea and Coffee, 22 Broadway in Newport. Please join us for a conversation with bicycle advocates from around the state.  All are welcome and encouraged!

Reflecting on Safety in the Wake of a Tragedy

On Thursday, March 22, we learned the tragic news of a cyclist’s death at the east end of Purgatory Road in Middletown.  A beautiful well-traveled, oft-cycled area approaching Second Beach.  The news that the cyclist was riding the steep eastbound downhill with the low sun behind him, and that the driver was turning left at a blind curve with the sun in front of him, stopped our hearts.  Bad timing leading to a worst nightmare.        Continue reading »

Two Rides this Weekend … and more.

Forsythia and Cherry in Tiverton by Leslie Lindeman www.kickbuttmktg.com   Saturday, March 31 / in honor of Mike Strickland Ride in honor of Mike Strickland, the local cyclist who tragically died on Purgatory Road last week. The ride is organized by Mike's friends and all are welcome and encouraged to participate: Join us on a "Ride to Celebrate the Life of Mike Strickland" this Saturday, March 31st at 4:00pm, doing one of the things Mike loved to do - cycle. We will do a casual ride out to the Strickland house off Indian Ave, starting and finishing at Washington Square in Newport, where we will then continue to celebrate his life and remember him with drinks and traditional Australian pies at the Fastnet. The ride is 15 miles and will have a police escort. Everyone is welcome as we show our support to the Strickland family and bring more awareness to cycling safety. Feel free to join in at any point during the ride as we pass by 1st and 2nd Beach, then head out to Indian Continue reading »

Group Ride Sunday 3/18

Looks like this Sunday,3/18, is going to be a lovely day for a ride! Group Ride will meet at Touro Park at 9:45am. Due to popular request, we will stagger our start and allow for two groups: A casual pace, riding the basic Ocean Drive loop, approx 10 miles, and a faster pace, riding the Ocean Drive plus the Ft Adams and Carroll/Hazard loops, approx 14 miles. We'll all meet up at Katrina's on Bellevue at the end and talk about the Spring ride schedule - days, times, routes. Please join us if you have interest! Questions: Call (401) 324-9690 or email info@bikenewportri.org DAY OF RIDE: Please call Bari's cell: (401) 264-0468 See you on Sunday!!

Bike Newport Night Business Supporters

These are the folks that helped make our first Bike Newport Night such a success by contributing gifts to our raffle and silent auction: Please say "THANKS for supporting Bike Newport!" Allison McNally Angel Hair and Nails Ben & Jerry’s Brick Alley Pub Brooks Brothers Cadeaux du Monde Castle Continue reading »

Bike Newport Night: A HUGE Success!!

Wow!!! Our first Bike Newport Night was a HUGE success!!  Nearly 200 people came out on a mid-week, mid-winter night to celebrate the promise of more and better bicycling in Newport.  We don’t have a grand total yet, but we crossed the $4000 mark! with money still coming in.  All funds raised will be put directly to use for bicycle education, encouragement and support.  More trainings, signage, recommended routes, bike racks, Bike Garage program, bike planning for safe sharing of our roads – and more.  Including, yes, one day, a dedicated bike path on Aquidneck Island. CONGRATULATIONS!!! to GRAND PRIZE WINNER CATHERINE DUMONT. She’s heading to Pedal Power in Middletown to get sized for a brand new Fuji Hybrid in her favorite color – HUGE thanks to Bob Messier of Pedal Power! THANK YOU!!! to: Owner Kevin Sullivan, chef Rob Biela and the staff of Speak Easy Bar and Grill for being the best of hosts, donating and serving delicious food from pasta to lobster fritters to guacamole and so much more – super staff, great food and wonderful support of Bike Newport. Bessie, Mike, Noah, Dave and Craig of Castle the Band for fabulous entertainment – Castle rocked us right through the night. Amazing music and inspiring support of all things bicycle!  As we shared last night, we didn’t ask Castle, Castle asked US!  For months, the cycling bandmates have been offering to play a Bike Newport fundraiser and we finally pulled it off together.  And man – did they deliver! All of the businesses and people who contributed fabulous raffle and auction items:   Allison McNally, Angel Hair and Nails, Becky Bolan, Ben & Jerry's, Brick Alley Pub, Brooks Brothers, Cadeaux du Monde, Curl Up & Dye, Empire Tea & Coffee, Erica Zapp, Farmaesthetics, Firehouse Pizza, Friendly Harbor, Genie’s Hookah Lounge, Harbor Fine Art, Hungry Monkey, Island Pursuits, Jane Pickens Theater, Newport Bicycle, Newport Mansions, Newport Nautical, Pedal Power, Perro Salado, Pete Rice, Pleasant Surprise, Potter and Co., Pour Judgement, Rhody Surf, RI Massage, Salvation Café, Secret Garden Tour, Segway of Newport, Ten Speed Spokes, Team One, Thai Cuisine, Thames Street Glass, Tim Leary, Wag Nation and the Wine Cellar (whew! what a list!) All of the Bike Newport volunteers who contributed their time and energy to making the night a success - the Bike Newport Board (Chuck Albrecht, Deanna Casey, Christina Erwin, Jimmy Flynn, Bari George, Steve Heath, Allison McNally) and Bike Newport Night volunteers extraordinaire - Becky Bolan, Tim Leary and Janet Novack. And MOST OF ALL to all the bicycle enthusiasts who came out last night to join Bike Newport and our efforts to improve and encourage bicycling in Newport.  Our first fundraiser was a fabulous success thanks to all of you! HOLD THE DATE:  Friday May 18 will be our second annual Bike to Work Day.  Plan to two-wheel it to work or school and join us at the end of the day for a fabulous Bike Fair in the heart of Newport, Washington Square.  Stay tuned for more details!  And consider coming to our planning meeting on Tuesday, March 13, 8am at Empire Tea and Coffee, 22 Broadway, Newport. More information:  (401) 324-9690 or info@bikenewportri.org.

Get to know: The Bike Garage!

 Bike Garage Update, by Steve Heath, Vice President, Bike Newport, ER/EQ Catalyst, East Bay Met School, 3/4/12 The Bike Garage is rolling well. First, a shout out to Chris Tompsett for loaning a trainer. We’ve been spinning madly and recording our data in order to develop a better understanding of fitness. Next step is to get heart rate monitors and collect even more data to inspire students. Art Bell, Rogers Fitness Instructor, showed the Met wrenches the dust-covered fleet of Rogers bikes that have sat dormant for years in a dank closet below the gymnasium. Eyes lit up when they saw five Specialized mountain bikes. We hauled them into the shop and got them rolling without much trouble. Next, we will rejuvenate the rest of the 20 or so bikes in the fleet and the Viking Phys-Ed team can reintroduce cycling to the fitness curriculum. Awesome. Continue reading »